Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Technical move: Ames National's shares climbed above their 200-day moving average of $22.82, trading as high as $26.80 and last at $26.64 on notable volume, indicating bullish momentum.
• Dividend increase: The board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.24 (annualized $0.96), implying a roughly 3.6% yield and a payout ratio of 44.86% with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 27.
• Fundamentals & sentiment: The bank has a $236.8M market cap, a PE of 12.45 and reported $0.73 EPS last quarter with ~9.9% ROE, while analysts' consensus is "Buy" (Weiss reissued buy) and institutional ownership sits around 26.5% after recent inflows.

Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $22.82 and traded as high as $26.80. Ames National shares last traded at $26.64, with a volume of 43,305 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ames National in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Ames National Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $236.83 million, a PE ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.82.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter. Ames National had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 19.36%.The firm had revenue of $15.34 million during the quarter.

Ames National Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This is a boost from Ames National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Ames National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ames National by 67.6% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Ames National by 210.2% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Ames National by 150.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,836 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Ames National by 148.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,175 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Ames National by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,348 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,886 shares during the period. 26.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation is the bank holding company for Ames National Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Ames, Iowa. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a range of commercial and consumer banking products designed to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, farmers and agribusiness clients in central Iowa. Its network of branch offices serves Story County and neighboring counties, supporting local economic development and community initiatives.

The company's core offerings include checking and savings accounts, money market and certificate of deposit products, along with online and mobile banking services.

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